We are going to look at another political blog that also has a very present personal voice which makes it an interesting read. The blog is called the Skeeter Bites Report and is a weekly news analysis and commentary on U.S. politics, culture, and life in general with an occasional look at Canada. You will find articles published every Monday with some Special Editions coming in on Wednesdays or Thursdays if the scoops warrant it. The blogger is Skeeter Sanders, a native of New York City who is currently living in Vermont. He’s a former freelance journalist, a self-described ‘fiercely independent thinker’ who is highly skeptical of authority figures when they disagree with him. The blog is definitely politically charged but very well written, which you can guage for yourself in the recent Bloggeries: Are you on an Adults-Only Social Network Web Site? Big Brother wants to know why?, Ex Federal Reserve Chairman says war in Iraq is ‘Largely about Oil’, Strong Evidence Emerges that ‘Osama bin Laden’ in New 9/11 video is an Imposter, and McCain, Nominee of ‘Rich People’s Party,’ Calls Obama ‘Out of Touch’ With the Poor.
Though the site is very well written, I find this to be difficult to get to at times with its fierce amount of advertising. Bloggeries are right marginalized with black text on beige background and links highlighted in red. In the left navigation bar you will find advertising, an Archives pull down menu, Where the blog is found on the blogosphere, News the Mainstream Media May have Missed, Headlines from Buzzlash.com, Subscription info, Feedback Section, About page, and a link to listen to Skeeter’s 2 hr weekly radio show. Missing from the navigation system are a categories menu and a recent posts menu. I think these two elements would add to the navigation of the blog. I also don’t see labels attached to the posts and I think the blog could get a much larger readership if it used Technorati tags or sorted the posts with labels and categories.
The blog will get a 3 from me. This blog is a little cluttered and needs some organization and reformatting in order to fare better from me. The blog could be more active. Though this keeps in line with the weekly nature of the blog, the articles that are posted are extremely lengthy and have the potential of losing the reader’s interest. I would suggest breaking one article down to make it more readable and spreading it out over the course of the week or a few days to increase the activity aspect as well as make it an easier read. I would also add some blog elements such as a categories menu as previously mentioned just to organize the blog a little and make navigation a little easier to work with. Further, I would move the advertising around so that it is not the first thing the reader sees and blends in more with the content of the blog. Otherwise, I think the content is extremely well done and the niche itself is unique and very appealing to a large audience. I think with just a few changes this could be a very successful blog with an extensive readership.
-Chrissie
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